“THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD”

14 “I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, 15 if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.”

1 Timothy 3:14-15

The church is a place that consists of people who love God and one another. We are there for one another, helping and encouraging one another.

It’s a beautiful sight, isn’t it? But every Christian knows that this is not always the case. Sometimes, even the most mature among us have disagreements that could result in serious conflict. 

Sadly, some people are not ready to undergo conflict resolution, so they decide to stop going to church. On the other hand, some do stay in the church but choose not to talk. Neither of these two scenarios is ideal, so in this series, I want us to go back to the Bible and see how we should deal with conflict.

In today's passage, the Apostle Paul acknowledges the possibility of being delayed in his trip to Ephesus to meet with Timothy. So, if he does experience setbacks, Timothy should know how believers ought to conduct themselves in the household of God.

Paul emphasizes that the church is not just a group of religious people, but the household of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. In the ancient world, pillars not only supported great temples, but also contained writings, poems, and sculptures about the most important events in the lives of important people. This information would be accessible to successive generations as long as the pillars remained standing.

In the same way, the Bible makes it clear that the church, which is God's household, must declare God's goodness and truth as each member lives for one another. Today's believers must set an example for the next generation to follow, including our methods of dealing with conflict within the church.

This is what an ideal church looks like. But what should we do when we don't really see eye to eye? That's what I aim to address in this set of blogs, starting tomorrow.

Pursue the Savior today!

Photo by Sandy Ravaloniaina on Unsplash